Emerging Places of Social Innovation (POSI) in the co-production of space between multilevel stakeholders: the case of productive urban green infrastructure

This study focuses on emerging Places of Social Innovation (POSI), especially on the co-production of space as productive green infrastructure to support cities transition and address human needs and societal challenges for the health, wellbeing and welfare of residents. To address a call for more sector-specific research on the spatiality of social innovation, this study aims to explore the relationship between socio-spatial innovation, health services provision and
collaborative place-based development to advance conceptual knowledge through generating an urban planning and development model of ‘Places of Social Innovation (POSI)’. The term is defined here as the place-based process of urban change in the collaborative planning, design and delivery of public infrastructure; physical and social between bottom-up citizens, intermediary non-governmental organisations, and top-down government institutions. The study analyses how the case of productive green infrastructure emerges in the urban landscape through socio-spatial innovation processes occurring at different organisational levels, spatial scales and geographical contexts across: 1) Portsmouth, an area experiencing high levels of obesity, and selected in 2009 as a UK Healthy Town to trial innovative ways of changing residents’ behaviour to live healthier lives; including eleven urban spaces of community growing; 2) Brighton & Hove, the development of 75 community growing spaces between 2009-2013 and being the first UK city to introduce planning guidance for including productive spaces within urban development. First, it identifies how community gardens, orchards and productive landscapes are co-produced between bottom-up to top-down stakeholders through multilevel instigated social innovation within deprived urban neighbourhoods. Second, it determines and classifies the influence of contextual dynamics and multilevel stakeholder agency on these urban transformations. Furthermore, through interpreting key processes, sequences and patterns a conceptual framework of social innovation is developed into a dynamic model of Places of Social Innovation (POSI) to promote socio-spatial justice and healthy orientated urban environments.

Best Congress Paper nominee. Shortlisted by the Chairs of the Aesop 2019 Congress track presented in as one of the best papers for that track.